The Unexpected Coincidence
by Mutinous Phantom
Summary: A rich young man, once friends with Caledon Hockley, finds a young, coloured stowaway while on a tour of the grand liner. Romance soon follows, but will friendships of the past and the doomed ship keep them apart? COMPLETE!
1. Chapter One: Boarding

Hello everyone!!!!

Before I start with the chapter I thought I better describe this a bit better, please take the time to read.

Well, basically, I have had this idea for a Titanic story for about three years now but that was before I knew that this site existed. I watched Titanic again recently and was inspired to get on here and write. I have two other stories on the go as well but I thought I need to write this before I forget about it.

Anyways, I figured that I would invent a passenger, first class, who boarded the Titanic. His name, Daniel Taylor, aged 24. This character is me by the way, just about 9 years older, to make the plot work. He grew up with a one friend, and only one friend, that is Caledon Hockley. In this story Cal is 29. Basically this a story that has a bit of romance and a reunited friendship.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

THIS IS NOT A SLASH STORY.

I DO NOT OWN ANY CHARCTERS EXCEPT DANIEL.

THIS MAY BE SLIGHTLY HISTORICALLY INACCURATE BUT I WILL DO MY BEST.

Right, with that said I think I should start writing now.

Hope you enjoy.

**CHAPTER ONE**

**BOARDING**

The car pulled to a stop in the filled dock. There were people everywhere, waving on in awe at the ship above them.

Daniel hopped out of the red car, not impressed with the ship in the slightest. He had never had a love for things mechanical and would much rather be at home reading a book than pretend to be interested in boarding a ship that would take him to America.

He sighed as he realised that he didn't have a choice. His father had died, his only relative, and he had to attend a funeral in America. Daniel was from England and lived with his mother and father until he was two, his mother died of Typhoid so his Father, overcome by grief sailed to America, cutting all links to his past life. He had not wanted his only son, presumably because he was so much like his mother.

Daniel had been sent to live with his Aunt and Uncle and had been there ever since, in their First Class society. His parents were poor but his father's brother had struck gold in a mine in India, so they lived a life of luxury.

Daniel was forced to act like a gentleman, with suits and slicked back hair. He was not allowed to run and play like other children and was forced to endure the lectures from his childless Aunt and Uncle over his behaviour.

Daniel was now 24 and was the heir to his Uncle's riches because he and his Uncle David had no children.

Daniel was reluctant to go on the Titanic, because of his fear that his father had started another family in America, and he was being lead into the lion's den so to speak. He was swayed when he found out that his childhood friend Caledon Hockley was going to board with his fiancé.

Daniel and Cal had met when their father's were talking business at some held in London. Cal and Daniel were the only children there, even though they were five years apart in age, they became good friends, and had been visiting each other over the summer through the years.

The last time he had seen Cal was when he had finished University at the age of 18. Cal was by then 23 years old and they both felt that they were too old to keep travelling, like children to see each other in the summer.

"Where is your ticket, sir?" A voice asked, breaking his reverie.

Daniel turned around and noticed that he had been staring at the ship for five minutes, while thinking about his childhood.

"I have it here." He replied to the steward that was prompting him.

"A magnificent ship isn't she?" The steward stated, misinterpreting his staring for wonder.

Daniel nodded gloomily and grabbed his luggage, preparing to board the ship. His maid, Katherine grabbed the others. He gave her a friendly smile, in truth they were cousins, through his mother's side, but no one knew that. Katherine had appeared at his Uncle's house one night in rags and was at once aided by himself, who encouraged his Uncle to let her stay as his maid. Daniel refused to allow her to wait on him, as they were best friends, though of different class.

The pair started off for the ship but was at once relieved by their luggage from an attendant who took them to their rooms, A-35 and A-36. Daniel knew of the expense of these tickets and realised that he would be seen as another rich man who drank constantly and smoked cigars while talking about politics.

He walked up the ramp, taking in the smell of the fresh paint, the calm of the water and the sound of the crowd.

He handed the Officer his ticket at the First Class entrance and forced a smile onto his pale face. He was constantly told he looked ill, but he had inherited his snowy complexion from his mother, a beautiful woman in her own right.

"Welcome to the Titanic, you will find your luggage is in your rooms."

Daniel nodded and walked slowly with Katherine to their rooms. He absorbed the luxury and the glamour of the hallways, the thick carpet under his feet, the white panelled corridors.

He found their rooms and barged in, ready to act like his true self. He stopped at a mirror over a marble fireplace. His hand reached up and touched the dark locks that were plastered to his head, ending at his neck in a few curls that would never lie flat.

He had been told that he was a handsome man and that any rich girl would marry him. So far, he had managed to stay single but he knew that time was running out.

The only part of his appearance he actually liked were his eyes. A dark brown that reflected his true soul, not the first class person he was made out to be.

"Daniel, we had better put your things away."

He turned to face Katherine, who was opening one of the many suitcases he carried. He gave her a smile and turned to help her.

"These rooms are beautiful." Katherine exclaimed, pointing at the dark panelled walls, the gold trimmed fireplace, and the silk sheets on the beds.

He made an agreeing sound while putting his real clothes away. He had managed to sneak a few coloured shirts and black trousers on board, with a few plain waistcoats that gave the appearance that the clothes belonged to steerage. Daniel had hated suits and ties ever since his Aunt first showed him some.

He shut the carved wardrobe door quickly and slid the suitcases out of the way.

The ship had been sailing for a while now; they were speeding for Cherbourg where more passengers would come aboard. They had not bothered to go up on deck, he was unimpressed by the hype that this ship created and wished not to see it.

With nothing more to do, Daniel sat on a chair and opened the book her brought with him, Katherine was sleeping in her room, ill by sea sickness. He had asked her to alert him if she needed anything.

He skipped lunch, not wanting to leave Katherine. Dinner was no fast approaching and his stomach demanded food. He grabbed a sheet of paper from a notepad nearby and wrote a note to Katherine which he placed on her bedside table.

It took him approximately ten minutes to dress in his formal tuxedo. He made sure his shoulder length dark hair was slicked back, not revealing its length. His Uncle had given him a lecture on how he should cut it short, but his mother had it shoulder length, and he wanted to feel closer to her, even after twenty two years from her death.

Daniel slipped out of the room and walked down the corridors on his won. He nodded to several people, and couldn't help but think that he should have stayed with Katherine; he was receiving odd looks for going to dinner on his own.

He reached the Grand Staircase and descended down the steps to the D Deck, where the restaurant was located. He admired the wood work and iron work, noticing the detail of the carvings.

He walked straight into someone, not looking where he was going.

"I am so sorry, I was admiring the woodwork and I must have stopped looking."

Daniel hated being formal, but realised that he was representing his Uncle, he was a well known heir to the massive fortune his Uncle had, an eligible bachelor.

Daniel eyes locked onto brown ones that seemed so familiar. He realised he was looking into the face of Caledon Hockley.

"Cal?" Daniel asked, hoping to get the attention of the retreating figure who had not said a word. The man froze and turned to see Daniel, immediately recognising his old friend.

"Daniel Taylor, why I never." The dark haired man walked over to him and the two shared a firm handshake, aware that they could not be informal in public.

Cal was smiling a real smile at seeing his only friend. Daniel knew it was a real smile; he had witnessed a fake one on many occasions.

Daniel was half dragged down the remaining steps and almost knocked into a middle aged red haired woman in a pink beaded dress.

"Ruth, I would like you to meet Daniel Taylor, heir to a diamond fortune, one of my truest friends."

Daniel smiled graciously and lifted the woman's hand to kiss, the custom with first class men to do to a high status woman.

"A pleasure to meet you." He said, standing up to his full height (5'11")

"This is Ruth DeWitt Bukator, my fiancée's mother."

Daniel smiled again, noticing the fake smile that Ruth displayed. He tried his hardest to keep his demeanour friendly and civil.

"Why are you David Taylor's son?" Ruth asked, interested in his wealth.

"Yes, but technically nephew, though I am his heir."

Daniel made small talk with the woman, turning on his charm ever so slightly, knowing that he wanted to get on the good side of this woman.

"Daniel please meet my wife to be, Rose." Cal said, causing Daniel to turn on the spot.

He was met with the most beautiful woman on the planet, though not his taste, he could see why Cal liked her.

"A pleasure, I am Daniel Taylor, one of Cal's old friends."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise of his friendship with Cal, luckily only Daniel noticed.

"May I escort you to dinner Ruth?" Daniel asked the older woman, noticing Cal and Rose walking off to the dining area.

"Of course." The woman answered, linking her arm through his.

He could tell that this woman was fake, but he wanted to know the real person behind that, at least to give her chance.

"So tell me Ruth, do you read?" He asked, hoping to find she had some interests that didn't involve money.

She laughed with a fake sound, knowing that she was trying to be polite. "Of course not, I much prefer to socialise."

Daniel smiled politely and escorted her to her table promptly. He noticed that the table was full of the highest classed people on the ship; unfortunately he noticed there was a seat for him.

"Do sit with us Master Taylor." Ruth asked, lowering into her chair. Daniel obliged and couldn't help but notice that fact that she emphasized the word _Master_ to portray his single status.

He did not listen to the mindless chatter around the table; he just focused on eating and looking interested.

"Do tell us why you are not married good sir, you are quite eligible I would imagine."

Daniel turned to Ruth, the speaker of these words and noticed the female members of the table perk up in interest.

He took a sip of wine before answering, wishing he had beer instead. "All of the women I have been introduced to seem to want for the money I will have. I do not mean to be rude to anyone on this table, but I would much prefer to stay single then marry someone I do not love, the problem is my Aunt seems set on to marry me to some girl I don't even know. It was proving quite hard to resist for much longer, we all know how a woman gets her way."

The men of the table laughed heartily, nodding in agreement. Daniel looked into the cold eyes of Ruth and realised that was answer she had hoped for.

The dinner passed without further distraction and Daniel couldn't help feeling that this was going to slowly.

"Gentlemen, care for a brandy?" J.J Astor asked, smiling at all the men who stood up. Daniel was left the only male on the table.

"Are you not joining us Daniel?" Cal said to him, noticing he had remained seated.

Daniel plastered on a fake smile looked up at his friend.

"I do not like brandy, you know that Cal."

The men all looked shocked and Daniel couldn't help but laughing, and was quickly joined in by Cal, who both held a memory of a similar occasion about seven years ago.

"Come have a smoke with us instead." Archie said, and older man, who obviously wanted to know about his Uncle's business.

"I do not smoke, I do not like it." Daniel supplied between laughter, which was once again increased by the appalled look on the men's faces. Cal remained smiling and herded the men to the Smoking Room.

Daniel stopped laughing and looked at the beautifully dressed women around him.

No one seemed to want to speak to him, obviously startled by his outburst.

"A man that doesn't like brandy and cigars, I thought the world was not blessed enough." Madeline Astor said, allowing herself to say something educated for the first time that night.

Laughter once gain surrounded the table, to which Daniel joined in.

"You are a unique man." The Countess said to him, smiling still.

"Well, I try to be different." Daniel said, standing up from the table. His vision was partly obscured by a long strand of hair that had slipped down.

"Well Ladies, it has been a pleasure meeting you, but I must tend to my maid, she is sea sick and I need to make sure she is okay."

Silence fell upon the table, the women looked appalled, all except Rose, who looked at him in interest.

"You care for such a lower class being?" Ruth asked in her cold voice.

"Yes ma'am, I do." Daniel said, not wanting to go into details.

He rushed his departure form the dining room and grabbed some rolls from the table, in case Katherine was hungry. He ran up the grand staircase, nodding to a few more people on the way, he quickly walked down to his room.

He entered to find Katherine up and about, looking slightly ill but happy.

He placed the rolls on the table and hugged Katherine, making sure she was alright,

After a quick bath, he retired to his room and tried not to think about the rumours about him that he had already begun.

This trip was going to be one to remember.

………………………

There we go. I hope that was alright, please review if you have anything to say. Do you think I should continue? Anyways, thanks for reading my longest chapter ever in any story. (Lol, I am pleased with myself.)

Dan.


	2. Chapter Two: Discovery

Thank you for the feedback, it is good to hear someone likes my story!!

**yellow-faith**- Thank you for what you said. I'm glad you like the main character, who is actually myself :-) I hope this next chapter is okay!!

I realise that an event in the latter part of this chapter didn't happen, though I know where I am going with this, so please bear with me!!!!

Right here we go,

**CHAPTER TWO**

**DISCOVERY**

"Wake up Daniel, your breakfast is ready."

A gentle voice punctured his dreams. Daniel groaned, not wanting to get out of the comfortable bed. He realised that Katherine would probably get angry if he didn't have anything to eat before exploring, so he rolled out of bed, forgetting that this was not his bedroom and that there was not a wall next to his bed.

He landed on the carpeted floors in a heap of covers and nightwear.

"Damn!" He cried, also forgetting that he had left his shoes on this side of the bed as well.

He rose up and tried to look awake. He quickly made his bed, something he would never allow Katherine to do and went to his promenade deck.

The room was filled with sunshine, reflecting of the white walls. He glanced at the various flowering plants and realised how much money had been spent on him.

He sat down opposite Katherine, who was eating a croissant and drinking a cup of coffee. It had taken years of coaxing to get Katherine to sit with him, but he was glad he persevered; he enjoyed his cousin's company.

"You look a fright this morning Daniel." Katherine said to him, raising her cerulean eyes from the book she was reading to glance at her younger cousin.

Katherine was 27 and had the same dark hair and pale complexion that Daniel had. However, her eyes were a deep blue that sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight. Daniel had tried to get her to wear First Class clothes, so she would not be looked down upon, but she insisted on wearing the black and white maid's uniform, saying that he was too generous to her as it was.

Daniel grabbed some cream cakes and a cup of lemon tea and started to eat, chatting with Katherine about the voyage so far.

"Do tell me about dinner last night Daniel, I read you note."

Daniel slightly cringed and finished eating his breakfast. He picked up his cup of tea and looked at his cousin in the eye.

"It was a disaster Kathy, the men though I was strange for hating cigars and brandy and the women thought I was odd to care for you, I didn't tell them you were my cousin though. The only good thing was that I bumped into Cal, and met his new fiancé, I am hoping to see them again today."

His cousin placed her book down and started to pile the empty breakfast things on a tray, helped along by Daniel.

"Come with me to dinner tonight Kathy, I need someone to talk to."

Katherine smiled but shook her head, it was a long shot, he realised that but he had hoped that there would be better company tonight.

"You have been invited to a tour at midday Daniel, go to the ship's bridge if you are interested." Kathy said to him, knowing that he would only go because he needed to keep a good reputation.

"I'd better make an appearance Kathy; you know what these people are like, if you say no they automatically think there is something wrong with you"

Kathy snorted in laughter and left to take the tray to the kitchens, even though they could call someone up to do it for them, she explained she wanted to see the ship.

Daniel walked into his room and went to the wardrobe. His gaze fell on suits, waistcoats and uncomfortable looking shirts. Sighing, he grabbed a white shirt, dark grey pinstripe waistcoat and black trousers. He slipped into his clothes and grabbed a black tie from a rack. He then grabbed his pocket watch and connected the chain to the waistcoat, making the gold chain loop a bit before reaching his pocket where the watch was stored.

After a quick shave, he combed his hair, deciding to leave it hanging to his shoulders. His dark hair was dead straight and hung thick and shiny, another trait he had inherited from his mother.

He slipped on his long coat and bowler hat and tidied his things away.

He left the cabin at exactly 10 o' clock to explore the ship.

He immediately went to the deck, for he had never been there before. The wooden planking and the white painted walls did little to impress him. He walked along the vast decks of the ship, taking in its architecture and design. He would meet the designer of the ship today, a Mr Thomas Andrews Jr. He was not looking forward to hearing all the technical details about the ship. He hated the fat that many thought it was unsinkable, for he knew that saying that often brings the worst luck.

He decided to go to the Parisian café and have a cup of tea before going on the tour.

The café was richly decorated but gave Daniel the impression of a Victorian conservatory, with the lattice work and the flowers.

He sat down at a table and took off his coat and hat. He sat there, watching the first class people, wondering if they were all shallow, or maybe there were some others who thought that money was not everything.

"Good morning Mr Taylor, may we take a seat?" A voice said, making Daniel focus on his table.

Ruth and Rose DeWitt Bukator were standing above him, Ruth with a fake smile and Rose with a genuine smile. _Well, at least she is not shallow_, he thought to himself.

He stood up out of politeness, "Of course." He said simply, sitting back down once the ladies were seated comfortably.

"Why Mr Taylor, I didn't realise you hair was that length!" Ruth exclaimed, eying his hair with displeasure.

He merely smiled and gave his order to a waiter who had just arrived at the table.

"Tell me Rose, who did you and Cal meet?" Daniel asked, trying to start a conversation.

"Mother introduced me." Rose stated simply, with a bitter tone.

Daniel hardly heard Ruth smoothing over her daughters supposed rudeness, causing Daniel to smile into his cup of tea that had just been given to him.

Tea finished rather quickly, allowing Daniel to make a quick escape; unluckily he had been invited to dine with them tonight as well, he had been too polite to decline.

He sped out of the café and went to the bow of the ship, looking at the fast approaching coast of Ireland. The ship would be docking at Queenstown to pick up more passengers, making Daniel wonder of the capacity of the ship, no doubt he would find out on the tour.

"Magnificent view isn't it?" A man's voice questioned him. Daniel turned and saw that Cal was standing behind him. He smiled at him and noticed him stand beside him, as they saw a boat leaved the dock of Queenstown, heading straight for the ship, the port was to small for the Titanic to fit in.

"You know these technological wonders do not impress me Cal." Daniel stated to his once best friend.

Cal laughed and the two started to talk about some of their adventures together when they were younger, finding ways to break the rules and act like children, not gentlemen.

Daniel withdrew his pocket watch and noticed he had to be at the bridge to start his tour.

"I must be going Cal; your fiancé invited me to dine with you tonight, so I will see you then."

The two shook hands firmly and finished their goodbyes.

Daniel ran up to the bridge, not wanting to be late. He arrived one minute early, giving him time to catch his breath. He noticed that Thomas Andrews was there waiting for his tour guests. A woman he recognised as Molly Brown was talking to him in her rich American accent.

He walked up to the pair, nodding at a few other passengers who were also present.

"Good Afternoon Sir, Ma'am, I am Daniel Taylor."

He shook hands with Thomas, who smiled and mumbled words of welcome. Daniel was about to kiss Molly's hand when she stopped him.

"A handshake will do sonny." She said, causing Daniel to laugh out loud. He shook hands with her and allowed her to link arms with him, for Thomas had started the tour.

They toured around the decks, gymnasium and various officers' rooms and the wireless room. Daniel was introduced to the captain and a few officers in passing.

He spent most of the tour talking to Molly, who had at once become a good friend. He had found out that her husband had struck gold and that she was new to all this money.

"You weren't missing much." He assured her, as they descended down the Grand Staircase, on their way to the Engine room.

After about ten more minutes of tour around the steerage accommodation, they arrived at the massive Engine room. Boilers were everywhere and teenage boys were running about, each looking intimidated by the rich people coming to look at their work.

One ran straight into him, causing to fall over. The small boy seemed petrified as Daniel sat up. The shocked look of the boy caused Daniel to laugh out loud, and he seemed relieved when Daniel assured him everything was fine.

Molly was helping him up when he noticed eyes shimmering in the darkness. There was a person hiding behind a large piece of equipment that Daniel forgot the name of.

He pretended to be tying his shoe, so that the others would walk off. Once they were out of sight, Daniel rushed over to look behind the equipment where he found a woman.

The woman was close to his age, but of a different age. Her skin was a deep cocoa brown, that was smeared by dirt, and her hair flowed in tangles to her waist, in a rich ebony colour. Her rags barely covered her and she was shivering, obviously scared that she had been found. She was a stowaway, there was no doubt.

"Do you speak English?" Daniel said, kneeling down to her, in a clear but quiet voice.

"Yes." The woman said in a clear voice that was very English. He frowned in puzzlement at her accent.

"Where did you come from?" He asked her, wondering who she could have such an English accent.

"From London sir, my family was descended from slaves that were sold to an English family many years ago. My family are all dead, and I couldn't get a job because of my skin colour. I am hoping America is better."

Daniel gasped in astonishment, totally amazed that she managed to get on the ship of dreams.

"Come here." He said to her, offering his hand. She seemed very nervous about taking it, but she slid her hand into his gently. He lifted her up and took of his coat, wrapping it around her tightly. He then took of his hat and gathered her hair so it would be hidden by his hat, giving her the appearance of a man.

Daniel instructed a worker to tell Mr Andrews that he felt ill after his fall and had gone to rest. With that said, he guided the woman back to his quarters, giving her instructions to look down.

They made it to his room without any interruptions and he went to Katherine at once.

"Kathy, I have found this woman, she is starving, cold and has nowhere to go, do what you can for her, please." Daniel knew that his cousin would help anyone in distress, but he never liked to take advantage of that fact.

"Of course Daniel, what is the lady's name?" She asked, turning to make a bath in the bathroom.

"What is your name?" Daniel asked the woman, taking his coat and hat from her and dumping them on the sofa.

"Keisha." She replied. "Keisha Stevenson."

Daniel raised his eyebrows at her surname, realising that it was very English.

"We got given our owners name so that our family could all be traced to them that was before I was born of course." Keisha stated, rightfully interpreting his surprise.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph." Katherine exclaimed, noticing Keisha's skin colour and rags.

"You do look a fright; let's get you cleaned up my dear."

Daniel smiled at his cousin's kindness, even though he knew that she would never judge on skin colour alone.

Daniel left the women to the job, knowing that his next part would be difficult.

It was now 2pm and the Titanic was steaming into sea, far away from civilization. Daniel walked onto the deck and immediately ran to a steward. "Sir, I need your help." Daniel said, hoping that this idiot would believe him.

………………..

_(This next part is in Katherine's point of view, because Daniel goes through a rather boring bit now…)_

Katherine rolled up the sleeves on her dress and helped the woman out of her rags. She immediately went to the window and threw them out into the ocean, not being able to think of where to put them.

She carefully went back to the bathroom, and was met by the unwashed smell of Keisha. She could tell she had been through a lot and couldn't help wonder if this woman had ever washed herself.

She guided the woman into the hot water, causing her to scream quietly.

"I know it is hot dear, but it will clean you very well." Katherine said, hoping to calm the woman down.

She grabbed a bath brush and cleaned the woman well.

"So how old are you?" Katherine asked, hoping to make small talk.

She went on to lather Keisha's greasy locks.

"Twenty Two, it was my birthday yesterday."

Katherine's heart went out to the woman; she had to spend her birthday hot, hungry and smelly in the noisy engine room of a ship.

"We will just have to celebrate your birthday today instead." Katherine said, pouring water over her head to rinse away the suds.

Katherine instructed the woman to stand up; Katherine drained the now brown water and waited for it to disappear before filling up a bucket and pouring it down the woman.

She helped Keisha out of the bath and wrapped her in a towel. The dark skinned woman now smelt of rose water and her skin was no longer covered in black smears, allowing Katherine to see the beautiful brown of her skin.

The two made their way to Katherine's bedroom, where she had to find something for her to wear.

Katherine went into the closet and hoped to find something suitable. She noticed that Daniel had given her many dresses to wear for the trip, hoping that she would accompany him sometimes.

Eventually, she found a warm yellow dress with short sleeves. The bodice was tight and was show off Keisha's impressive cleavage. The dress than flowed into many skirts that went to the floor. The different warn yellows would go well with her skin colour.

Katherine helped the shorter woman into her dress. Keisha was around 5'5", only slightly smaller than herself. The dress fitted perfectly and looked beautiful on the girl.

Katherine then grabbed a brush and combed Keisha's now dry locks. She was surprised to find it wavy, flowing in smooth torrents down her back. Katherine decided to leave it down, noticing that it made her look beautiful.

"Thank you so much Katherine, I know I am a hassle to have around, but no one has ever been so nice to me." Keisha stated, starting to cry for her fortune.

"It is okay Keisha, I hope we will be great friends and I will continue to do nice things for you."

Katherine meant every word she said, Keisha was a kind woman who was subjected to prejudice that made Katherine angry.

She allowed the woman to have a nap on her bed, noticing how tired she was.

With nothing else to do, Katherine retreated to the sitting room and picked up a book that Daniel had left lying around.

It was past 6 o' clock when Daniel returned. He looked very tired and Katherine immediately went over to him as he collapsed into a chair.

"What did you do?" Katherine asked, concerned for Daniel.

"I have bought Keisha a ticket; she will be staying in our suite. I managed to convince a stupid steward that she was meant to board with us at Queenstown but she was raped by a worker and left in the Engine room, where I found her. I explained that everything she owned had been stolen and that the worker had done a runner." Daniel explained to her, now laughing at the absurdity of his lie.

"Daniel!! I can't believe they fooled for it!! Is she supposed to be a maid or something?" Katherine asked, hoping that she was not going to be out of a job.

"Supposedly, although I intend for her to just get her health back." Daniel answered, going into the bathroom to wash.

"Katherine, be a dear and tell Cal that I will not be attending dinner because I had a nasty fall today while on the tour. Once you've done that, can you order three meals to be brought here for us to eat, it doesn't matter what they are." Daniel looked at his cousin as she nodded.

"Thanks" He said, while hugging her.

Katherine smiled at her cousin, knowing that he liked this girl, even though she was of a different culture.

"It was her birthday yesterday." Katherine told him, as he removed his tie and waistcoat, leaving him in a white shirt, black trousers and suspenders.

He looked up at her with a smile. He is up to something, she thought to herself, before leaving to follow his requests.

…………………..

_(Back to Daniel's POV)_

Daniel smiled as Keisha entered the sitting room from a nap. He was at once taken away with her beauty.

"You clean up well." He said to her, causing her to giggle nervously before sitting into a chair opposite him.

He placed his book down and glanced over to the beautiful woman opposite him.

"I heard it was your birthday yesterday." Daniel said, trying to start a conversation.

"Yes it was." She answered, not elaborating.

He walked over to her and took her hand. He pulled her into his room and sat her on the bed. She looked terrified and was cuddling her legs to herself.

"I am not going to rape you." Daniel said, knowing that she was scared of being abused. She visibly relaxed and Daniel rummaged in his wardrobe.

He found what he was looking for and went back over to her. He slipped a diamond bracelet onto her wrist and watched her astonished expression.

"I can't accept this." She blurted, startled by his kindness.

Daniel laughed and sat down next to her. "It was my mother's. Before she died, she said she wanted me to give this to my daughter. Since I will not be having one any time soon, I would like to give it to you, so you can give it to your daughter."

Keisha started at him in shock before thanking him repeatedly for the gift.

_That cheered her up_, Daniel thought as he led her to the promenade deck, where Katherine had just returned with their meals.

The meal was a good one, with the three of them talking and laughing, while stuffing there faces. They did not bother with proper etiquette, knowing that Keisha knew none anyway.

The meal ended all too quickly, but both Daniel and Katherine wished her a happy birthday.

"I will give you my bed; I will sleep on the couch." Daniel said to Keisha, whilst sipping some wine.

"No Daniel, I will sleep on the couch, it will be much more comfortable than I am used to anyway."

Daniel could not think of an answer so he dropped the subject.

Keisha looked utterly dazed by the amount of food, and only stopped when she said she was full. Katherine took the plates back to the kitchen, declining help from Daniel.

Daniel grabbed Keisha's hand and took her to the window, so they could see the stars.

"Happy Birthday Keisha" Daniel mumbled, before kissing her on the cheek softly. He left a surprised Keisha to sleep in the made up couch before retiring to his own room, surprised at what he had just done.

…………………………

There we go; I hope that was all right. I hope it was historically accurate. The day in this story is the 11th by the way. So a few more days to go yet!

Please review, I would like to know if you think my idea of introducing a black woman is a good idea. I am in no way racist, and I noticed the lack of stories with a person from a different culture, so I decided to change that.

Keisha is pronounced Ki-ee-sha if anyone is interested.

Thank you for reading,

Dan.


	3. Chapter Three: Accident

Hello there everyone!!!!!!!

Thank you so much for the reviews:

**lily**- I'm glad you like it ;-)

**Becky**- I'm glad you think this is okay!!!!

**yellowfaith**- I don't think it was accepted either, and I will display this in later chapters, I probably won't use racist terms, but I think it might be more realistic if I did. Thank you for the review!

Sorry for taking so long to update!!!

**CHAPTER THREE**

**ACCIDENT**

Daniel awoke with a smile on his face, and luckily, today he remembered that the bed was not near any walls, and therefore did not fall out of bed like yesterday.

He leapt out of the satin sheets and made it quickly. He dashed into the bathroom and had a quick bath to clean himself up, he didn't know why he wanted to look good all of a sudden, and he had never cared much for his looks beforehand.

He decided against wearing his heavy suits and grabbed a white shirt and black trousers, although for him this counted as too dressy, he didn't want to appear too casual to Keisha.

He slipped into the panelled sitting room and saw Keisha, fast asleep on the couch, looking warm, comfortable and clean, a complete contrast to the cowering woman he had met just yesterday. He felt like he had a duty to take care of this woman, to see that she did not just go hungry as soon as she reached America. He knew that he would never see her again after the maiden voyage had reached its course, but he didn't want to stay melancholy for the rest of the trip, he knew that he had a large attraction to this woman.

He walked over to her and sat down on the edge of the couch, hoping that he would have to use extreme measures to wake her up.

It transpired that his weight was enough to wake the sleeping woman, for she sat up immediately, and grabbed him in a headlock.

Daniel was more surprised than hurt, he didn't realise that she would do this to him when she awoke. He had not expected a warm reception; for life on the streets must require a person to be focused all the time, sleep with one eye open.

"Morning Keisha." He managed to say, her arm was squashing his throat.

He felt the arms lose their grip around his neck, though they were still there, he used her horror to swing her from her feet and bring her close to him, locking her arms behind her back.

"Never underestimate Daniel James Taylor." He said, looking the shorter woman directly in the eyes.

They stood together like that for what seemed like eternity, only to be broken by a loud coughing in the corner of the room.

Daniel let her go quickly and turned to face his fully dressed cousin standing in the doorway. Caught in an intimate position, Daniel tried to gloss it over.

"Morning Kathy, how are you on this fine day?"

He used his snobbish voice he saved for dinner parties.

Needless to day, his upper class voice did not help out of this situation. He decided that he needed to get out of the uncomfortable situation as soon as humanly possible.

"I will have breakfast in one of the restaurants, goodbye Kathy, Keisha." He gave them both a nod before exiting the room at top speed.

He cursed himself for thinking irrationally and tried to remind himself that he would never see Keisha after the trip.

Needless to say, his rational mind was not responding after the closeness he had shared with Keisha just a few moments ago.

He went to the Veranda Café and ordered a cup of lemon tea to calm his nerves.

Daniel noticed the odd looks he was receiving from the rest of the First class passengers, obviously put off with his state of dress and longer hair. _Truly shallow_, Daniel thought, taking a sip of his tea.

Daniel noticed the DeWitt-Bukator's and Cal making a bee-line for him, obviously hoping to catch him, no doubt to ask him for dinner.

He genuinely smiled at Rose, who seemed distant today; she smiled at him, briefly locking eye contact, allowing him to see the distress in her eyes.

_What's wrong with her?_ He thought, hoping that he would have a chance to talk to her later.

This time Daniel remained seating, not bothering with etiquette when his mind was elsewhere.

He murmured a small hello to everyone and immediately went back to processing his thoughts and drinking his tea.

"Penny for your thoughts Daniel?" Cal asked, punctuating Daniel's thought train.

He knew that he must have looked detached, almost upset about something, but he did not want to share it with the rest of the table, who were now all looking at him with interest. Rose beside him, turning to face him properly, she placed a hand to his forehead.

"My Mr Taylor, your temperature is off the roof, you must come out for a breath of fresh air, come now, and I will guide you."

Daniel tried to hide his confusion from the others, but he stole a perplexed look at Rose, who glared back.

Catching on, Daniel tried his best to look ill.

"It must be the sea, I do not think I have adjusted to it yet, maybe a breath of fresh air is all I need." Daniel said to Cal and Ruth, who looked concerned, although Daniel noticed that Ruth's was faked, not that he had expected much else.

The red head escorted him out of the restaurant, steering him out to the deck. She didn't stop walking until they were on the Poop deck, far away from any one who might over hear. He saw her look at the stern strangely, although he did not question it.

"Rose, are you alright, you seemed distant in the café?" He asked her, hoping that she would reveal what was on her mind.

"I'm... fine, Daniel, really, but I know there is something you are hiding from us, they may be to shallow to see it, but that does not mean that I am, please, tell me, I am your friend her, and you are mine."

Daniel knew she hadn't shared her problem, but he decided to let it drop, he was truly touched by her concern, even though he thought it was misplaced.

"Okay, I will tell you, although you must not tell a living, breathing soul, okay?" Daniel asked, looking at her straight in the eyes, trying to see if she would keep her promise.

"I can tell Cal then." She whispered under her breath, causing Daniel to frown in worry.

"Yes, I promise to keep it a secret." Rose swore, in her normal voice, with sincerity in her eyes.

Daniel nodded and proceeded to tell her about finding Keisha, getting her a ticket and his realising that he was falling for her, badly. She gasped in a few places and shook her head a few times as well.

"Do you think I am crazy?" Daniel asked, once he had finished the re-telling, carefully missing out the moment he had shared with Keisha this morning.

"To be honest, if you love this woman, than no, I think you are wonderful, but remember she is a criminal, she boarded on this boat illegally and is only safe know that she has found you, god knows what other crimes she has committed."

Daniel nodded to Rose's wise words.

"For a seventeen your old you seemed to have skipped the growing up phase." Daniel said, looking at the girl beside him.

"I was forced to grow up too fast." She murmured, looking out to the sea.

"You'd better get back, they must be wondering where you are, just say that I was sick and I will join them for dinner this evening if that's okay."

Rose nodded to Daniel's comments and turned to move away and go back to the café.

"Rose" Daniel called when she was about a couple of feet away.

"Don't do anything foolish." He advised, knowing that something was wrong with the girl; something she didn't wanted to explain.

She did not turn around, only stop for a second or two to process his remark. She then carried on her way, leaving Daniel to lean over the rail and stare at the endless depths of ocean. There was nothing but sea in sight, all land had disappeared form the horizon, giving Daniel and odd feeling of foreboding and loneliness.

He smiled as the wind blew his dark hair from his shoulders. The savage force felt like it was cleansing him from all thoughts and emotions, as if he was given a fresh start to work with. So this is what they mean when they say that the wind blows your cobwebs out, he thought, laughing out loud as a strong burst of wind caused him to stagger back a little.

"I didn't know that first class guys laughed." An American voice said, causing Daniel to turn on the spot.

His eyes were met with a man, around the same age as himself with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. He could tell that the man was in steerage, probably prejudiced against all upper class people, but the tone in his voice showed a friendly curiosity that was not present in the upper class regions of the ship.

"Ignore him; he's not worth the trouble." A welsh voice said, a voice that belonged to a man wearing a battered bowler hat, smoking a cigarette.

"Oh, he asked a question, a fair one at that, and yes, first class guys do laugh, when they are not in a room with shallow bastards." Daniel replied calmly, even though the wind was causing his hair to fly about his eyes and face.

The men looked astonished at his answer, causing him to laugh again.

"How did you guess I was first class, judging by the looks I received during breakfast I thought I look like I had come from the slums of New York." Daniel said, causing the Welsh man to drop his cigarette on the floor.

"My name is Daniel." He said, moving over to shake the men's hands in turn, causing them to look even more surprised.

"You are too clean to be from the slums." The American man said again, once his confidence had returned. "My name is Jack, and this is Tommy." He said, a friendly smile plastered on his face.

Daniel was once again shocked at how genuine the people were down here. He thought they might have been slightly resentful of being in the company of such a well off man, one who outshone them in both importance and worth.

He was soon introduced to many people, who were all slightly apprehensive of being so near an 'important person'.

Soon enough, the people became comfortable around him and talked about many things.

"You don't know how good it is to have a conversation with someone that doesn't involve Politics and business." Daniel told Tommy, which caused the man to fall into hysterics.

"Come to a party tonight if you want, in one of the halls in Steerage, you will find it, just follow the music." Jack asked, obviously hoping to talk to him some more.

Daniel smiled at his kindness and turned to face him from his sitting position, for he had been kneeling on the deck, playing with the children.

"I have to attend dinner first but afterwards I will come down and visit you all, and I will bring someone with me." Daniel said, pausing to see if bringing Keisha down was a good idea. He would have to ask her, but if she did not stand up to the prejudice at all, the prejudice will remain forever.

"Be in for a surprise." Daniel added, as he withdrew his pocket watch and exclaimed at the time.

"Bloody hell, I a going to be late for dinner, I have already missed lunch."

He looked at Jack once he had said that, and realised that he had been hungry on one too many occasions, and realised how missing one meal must seem normal to him.

"Sorry, that was insensitive." Daniel said, shaking his hand quickly.

"I must go." Daniel said.

He said goodbye to everyone and even hugged some of the children who had grown fond of.

He sped along the ship, finding his way to his room in five minutes. He burst into the richly decorated room to find Keisha calmly reading on the couch with her legs crossed up under her. She looked up as he burst in; cheeks red form the cold and hair a tangled, blown about mess.

"You look a bit weathered." Keisha said simply, trying to hide a laugh.

He walked over to here and collapsed next to her on the couch. "You are going to a party tonight." He stated, looking at her closely, trying to see her reaction.

She sighed and placed her book down and looked at him in the eyes, focusing hr large brown eyes on his.

"In case you haven't noticed, most people treat me like something smelly they have stepped in, and I doubt your upper class people would be any different." She said, as if she was explaining the matter to a child.

"Who said it was upper class?" He said, causing her to raise her eyebrows at him.

"Are you game? If I promise that any sign of prejudice we are out of there?" Daniel looked at her deeply, hoping that she would agree.

"Okay then. Come here after dinner. I am guessing I don't have to dress up." He knew she was only doing this for him, which made him even more grateful.

"Right, I will pick you up after dinner, I have to get ready."

Daniel stood up and left for his room, where he found Katherine putting some clothes away into his wardrobe.

"How has she been today?" He asked her in an undertone, while hugging her.

"Fine, missing you." Katherine answered quickly, fixing him with her cool blue eyes.

"I will be in my room if you need me." She said in a clear voice, that he was sure she said to cover their conversation.

Daniel laughed at her secrecy and quickly dressed in a tuxedo, and then carefully slicking his hair back.

He left the suite with a nod at Keisha and sped towards the Grand Staircase.

He descended the stairs quickly, not bothering saying hello to anyone as he past them. He knew that he was damaging his reputation, but all he wanted was a good night out with Keisha.

_Later Daniel, you have to sit through this first_, he told himself, hoping that he would not make a fool of himself.

He walked over to where Rose and Cal were sitting and was welcomed with many greetings and shaking of hands.

He sat down as soon as he could, and complained several times of the wait between courses.

"Do you have somewhere to be Mr Taylor?" Ruth asked, on the third time his impatience had gotten the better of him.

"Well, not really Ruth, but I am feeling rather tired from my illness and I am wanting to recover for tomorrow." Daniel said, carefully avoiding looking into her hawk like eyes.

Ruth seemed to buy his excuse, but Rose looked at him from across the table, noticing that Daniel was lying, for she had come up with the lie herself.

He excused himself from desert, not wanting to stay around these people any longer than he had to.

"Do join us for breakfast tomorrow Daniel." Cal said calmly, smoking a cigar.

Daniel, who had been at the point of escaping cursed under his breath and smiled and nodded slightly, hoping that he would be 'ill' tomorrow morning.

He carefully dodged around the tables, smiling and nodding at anyone who offered a greeting.

The route back to his room was unnoticed and rather lonely, not that he minded.

He quickly entered his suite and noticed that Keisha was sitting on the floor, next to a crumpled figure. There were dark stains on the floor that looked horribly like blood.

"Keisha, what happened?" Daniel asked, entering the suite and taking off his jacket, not yet realising who the fallen figure was.

She turned to him, tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I was having a bath, preparing for our party and when I came back into here, I found…" She broke off into tears, for Daniel, the tears validated her story.

He leaned down and hugged Keisha tightly, hoping to comfort her. He froze still as soon as he recognised the woman on the floor, blood smeared across her porcelain skin, unmistakeably dead.

It was Katherine.

……………………

There, an evil cliffy. I will update soon, a lot sooner than last time, for I know where I am going with the next chapter.

Pease, please, please review. I really want to know what you think of this chappie, was it too long?

Oh well, I hope you enjoyed reading and I hope to hear from you soon.

I have checked for any mistakes, and I hope there aren't any, if there are, can you let me know?

Dan.


	4. Chapter Four: Mystery

Hello everyone! Sorry about the delay between this chapter and the last but its here now, lol.

Thanks for the reviews:

**yellow-faith**- I'm sorry to hear that you were looking forward to the party, but who knows, there may be one down the pipeline. Thanks for the review!

**Ayane Lightoller-Murdoch**- Thank you so much for what you said, I'm glad you liked it, and I am not saying who killed her, but prepared to be surprised.

**Insectlover**- OMG! I forgot Fabrizio, sorry about that, I knew I was forgetting someone. I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you will like this chapter also.

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**MYSTERY**

Daniel stood in shock, not knowing what to say, what to think. He just stared at the blood. His cousin's blood. He felt no anger; he felt nothing, only confusion, confusion over the death of his only true friend.

He felt a hand lay across his shoulder in sympathy. He ignored Keisha; he wanted to burn this image in his mind, so he would never forget what happened on the R.M.S Titanic.

"Get the Master of Arms." He managed to whisper, hoping that Keisha would do the task he set her.

He felt her apprehension and realised quickly that no one would listen to her. He sighed gently and turned away form the corpse.

"I will go." Daniel muttered and left the room quickly, not wanting to look at the body of his cousin anymore.

The tall Caucasian strolled down the corridors, ignoring the greetings of people he met, causing them to mutter about young people these days.

He reached the Master of Arms without incident; he entered the white room, stepping carefully on the red floor.

"There has been an incident in my state room, I require your assistance," Daniel said in a monotonous voice that held no emotion.

The slightly large Master of Arms stared at Daniel, clearly uneasy with the tome Daniel displayed.

"What Incident?" He asked in his instantly recognisable accent.

Daniel wondered how you could tell someone of a murder on a high class profile, luxury ship.

"It is probably better if you came with me." Daniel muttered eventually, leading the way back to his state room with the Master of Arms and another officer.

The tall brunette seriously hoped that Keisha had the sense not to hide in Kathy's room.

After heading up several staircases and elevators, the small party arrived at the stateroom. With a slight bit of apprehension, Daniel opened the door and was at once met with the seen of his cousin's body.

He barely heard the gasps of the men behind him.

"She was like this when I got back from dinner, I left dinner early and she was like this." Daniel said, as the men determined whether she was dead or not.

The Master of Arms seemed to be at a loss for words.

"Are you going to remove the body or am I going to have to leave it rotting here for the rest of the voyage?" Daniel said in a cold tone, much unlike his own voice.

It felt as if ice had enclosed around his heart, keeping him from feeling the true loss of his cousin.

The men mumbled an apology and requested a sheet to cover the body.

Daniel slumped into his own room and ran into Keisha, who was listening at the door. She turned her beautiful eyes onto his, showing the sympathy she felt for him, it was enough to crack some of the ice that had enclosed around him.

Not wanting to get too emotional, he walked past her and opened the large oak wardrobe.

After a few moments of rummaging the 24 year old found a spare sheet in the wardrobe, and quickly left the room.

He handed the cloth to the Master of Arms, ignoring the look of disgust that he conveyed when he looked at the body.

It took a few moments to wrap the body and the white cloth quickly became stained with red patches.

"We will take the body to the carpenter who will be able to knock together a coffin for the trip. We will then put her in the cargo hold until the trip is over unless you would rather toss the body over board?"

Daniel's look of anger was enough to stop the mumblings of the officer that was speaking.

"The Captain will be informed and we will take it from there. What was her name?" The Master of Arms asked; as he flipped open a notepad that was concealed in a pocket.

"Katherine, Katherine Churcher." He replied dully, not showing any emotion.

"Age?" The ruddy faced man questioned.

"27"

The interview lasted a couple of minutes; Daniel even revealed that she was his cousin, explaining the situation that had happened years before.

"We are sorry for your loss." The man said, departing the room about two hours after he entered. The carpet was now clean, showing no traces of the carmine fluid that had tainted it.

"You can come out now Keisha." Daniel said, making sure that the no one was around.

At once his bedroom door opened, revealing the dark skinned woman that he was hopelessly infatuated with, even after all the things that had happened.

She came over and sat down next to Daniel on a chaise-lounge. The raven haired woman placed a hand on his arm, offering comfort and support.

"I am so sorry Daniel; I should have been paying attention, not relaxing myself into these luxuries." She said, waving her unoccupied arm around the luxurious state room.

"For what its worth, Katherine was a great woman, and I will miss her."

Daniel started crying then, for the first time in about 10 years he allowed the salty tears to fall down his cheeks.

Keisha embraced him gently, allowing all the tears to wash out of his system.

However, their intimate moment was ruined by someone barging in the door. Luckily, Keisha was wearing a floor length dress that exposed none of her skin, and her hands were behind his back. Her head also faced away from the door, meaning the intruder saw none of her dark skin.

"Bad time Daniel?" Caledon Hockley asked, noticing the intimate position.

"Hide in Katherine's room; don't let him see your face." Daniel whispered into Keisha's ear.

The woman nodded, slowly slipping away from him, and hiding into the room across the way.

"You've been crying Daniel; you surely cannot have had a worse night than mine."

Cal sat down next to Daniel, showing concern for someone other than himself, which was a rarity.

"Katherine was murdered." He whispered slowly, trying to ignore the exclamation that Cal made.

"Rose almost fell overboard, trying to see the propellers. Silly girl." Cal said, obviously trying to change the subject.

With immense difficulty, Daniel managed not to look at him scornfully. He knew that Rose was not stupid enough to do something like that.

_I will have to talk to her tomorrow_, he thought while he bid goodnight to Cal, who was leaving.

"What else is going to go wrong on this trip? He exclaimed out loud, as he left to take a well deserved bath after a stressful day.

…………….

There we go, I know it is a lot shorter than the other chapters, but I thought this event deserved its own chapter.

Please Review!

Dan.


	5. Chapter Five: Investigating

Well, here we are with another chapter of the story. Quite soon too, considering I have four stories on the go. So, thank you for the reviews:

**yellow-faith**- Thanks for the review, lol, a crappy one eh? I think I will make it rather good. Lol, I'm glad you thought the last chapter was the best -)

**Ayane Murdoch**- Where else would you put a coffin? I couldn't think of anywhere else it could go. But, oh well. Thanks for the review!

Right, on with the story, please not the day is Friday 13th April 1912, I do believe that is right, and then you have Saturday 14th, wait, no, that's wrong. No its Saturday 13th isn't it? It set sailed on Wed 10th April didn't it? Can someone get back to me on this please?

Right, here we go:

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**INVESTIGATING **

Daniel awoke with the sunshine hitting his pale face. He squirmed slightly on its relentless gaze, hoping that he could just roll over and go back to sleep.

_No rest for the wicked_, he thought, as the brunette climbed out of bed.

He slipped onto his private promenade deck, throwing the windows open wide and breathing in the salty sea air. The clear air helped him to think of the last few days, help think of the loss he had suffered, but yet, he started to smile, thinking of the good times he had shared with Kathy, and hoping that she was in a better place now.

"Morning" A voice said, waking Daniel from his reverie.

The tall man turned and was met with Keisha, who had just rolled out of her bed in the living room.

"Good morning, how are you feeling today?" He asked, as the dark skinned woman joined him leaning out of the window.

"Never mind me, what about you?" She asked, looking into his eyes.

Daniel found her gaze captivating and inviting and couldn't help but smile.

"A lot better actually, though I do intend to find out who did this, I think that dwelling on the end of Kathy's life is not healthy, I think I must look back on the happy times we shared, like this one time…"

Daniel talked to Keisha about all the good times he had shared with his cousin, talking about how they went to all the exotic places around the world.

"Thanks for listening to me; it means a lot that I have someone to talk to." Daniel said when he had finally finished talking.

Keisha laid a hand on his arm, an innocent gesture that left his pulse racing.

"It's not a problem, really, it was interesting." She said, talking as though she was breathless.

"Thank you again, I will meet you in here for lunch, but I need to sort some things out." Daniel said, withdrawing from her touch in an attempt to clear his senses.

After a quick bath, Daniel proceeded to get dressed in his luxurious bedroom. He wore a black shirt, black waistcoat and a black tie with the usual black trousers, for today was a day of mourning, and he had to dress appropriately.

He left the luxurious state room at 11:15, hoping that he might catch Rose having tea in the Veranda Café, for he needed to talk to her about the events of last night, see if his suspicions had been correct.

He nodded to several people along the corridor, smiling at people he knew from dinner. Daniel reached the café and found Rose having tea in a corner by a window. Ruth was there also and seemed to be arguing with Rose over something.

Daniel made his way through the wicker tables and reached the place where they were sitting.

"Good morning Rose, Ruth, I am so sorry for interrupting, but may I have a quick word with you Rose?" Daniel asked, looking straight at Rose.

Ruth started to mumble a rejection as Rose stood up. "Certainly Daniel. Goodbye mother, I will see you for dinner."

Daniel tried his best to ignore the glare Ruth was giving him, and as a result, waited to see she was out of eye sight before talking.

"Rose, what really happened last night, Cal may be stupid enough to believe the propeller story but I am not."

He heard Rose sigh as they continued walking down the wooden decks.

"You are right, I was not trying to look at propellers, I was trying to end it, it just felt like I couldn't go on, and, the only way to stop it was erasing my presence on this world." Rose said, each word dripping with emotion.

"But then a man saved me, a Mr Dawson from steerage and he made me feel as if life was worth living, much like your Miss Stevenson I believe." She said, looking at him with her deep green eyes.

Daniel nodded, his suspicions confirmed.

"Have you thanked Jack yet?" Daniel said, immediately cursing his straightforwardness.

"You know him?" Rose asked, turning abruptly to gaze at Daniel. The brunette nodded weakly, looking at Rose expectantly.

"No I haven't thanked him, but he is joining us for dinner so I daresay I can do it then."

Daniel grabbed the arm of her posh floor length dress and hurried down a white flight of stairs.

"Where are we going?" Rose demanded, agitated by Daniel's laugh.

Eventually, the two reached the Poop deck, and once again there were many of the third class passengers sitting around, many playing with their children.

"Why have you brought me here of all places?" Rose enquired, smothering the creases on her dress.

"To thank Jack." Daniel said as he walked over to an Italian friend of Jack's he had met yesterday.

"Hello there sir, I was wondering if you could tell me where Jack Dawson is." Daniel asked, hoping he sounded formal in front of Rose, not wanting to embarrass her.

"No, my name is Fabrizio, non sir, and Jack is over there." He said in his rich Italian accent, pointing to the railing at the end of the ship where a blonde haired man was leaning over.

"Hey Jack." Daniel said as he got near the young American.

Jack turned on the spot, recognising Daniel's voice.

"I'm sorry I wasn't at the party last night, something terrible happened." Daniel said, breaking off mid-sentence as he saw Jack stare at Rose, who was standing nervously behind Daniel.

"I take it you have already met my friend Rose?" Daniel said, unable to keep the smile from his face.

Jack totally ignored Daniel and walked straight up to Rose.

_Well, sparks certainly do fly on this ship_, he thought as he saw Rose's eyes light with happiness as she saw Jack.

The two walked off, leaving Daniel to his own devices.

He stood there for a moment, and then realised he needed to see the Captain. He nodded at Tommy who was waving and withdrew his pocket watch.

_Hmm, I will have Lunch first_, he thought, as he started to head back to his state room.

Twenty minutes later, he stepped into his living room. He proceeded to the promenade deck as he saw Keisha staring out into the blue sea.

"Let's get some Lunch shall we?" Daniel said, as he crept up behind her, causing the woman to jump and smash a plant pot.

After half an hour wait, lunch arrived for the twosome, to be eaten on the promenade deck. Daniel quickly declined the service of a maid as he took the trays from a servant and the door.

Lunch passed in silence on both parts, for they did not know what to say.

"I found this; it might have been from the killer." Keisha said after a while, withdrawing an elbow length glove from her dress pocket.

Daniel quickly grabbed the expensive item and fingered its silky fabric in between his fingers.

"This would only belong to a first class passenger." Daniel said slowly, realising the depth of this crime.

"I must see the fabric, I will be back later to order you some dinner but until then, stay in Katherine's room out of sight, I just pray the killer did not see you to."

Daniel quickly called a maid to clear away the dishes and he left for the bridge at top speed.

He ignored the sunshine and the sounds of the waves crashing against the side of the boat. He only cared for the answer to his problems.

"You are not allowed in here sir. I am sorry; the bridge is out of bounds." An officer said, that Daniel recognised as someone called Lowe.

He stormed passed the young welsh man, slamming him against the wall. Daniel stole a glance at the equipment used to steer the bridge before proceeding to the Crew's Mess Hall, where the Captain was dining, or so he assumed.

Luckily, his assumptions rang true as eh entered the plain hall. All of the crew members in there stared at him, wondering how a passenger got in here.

"Captain Smith, I found something in my state room that may be of interest to you." Daniel said, breaking the silence that had filled the room like a contagious disease.

The Captain looked up at him, not recognising who he was.

"You are not allowed in here Sir, could you leave please." The white bearded Captain said.

"I know that, but then, a corpse was not supposed to be in my state room last night, sometimes things happen."

The Captain's eyes widened at this statement as he recognised Daniel's character.

"Ah yes, please come with me Sir, we have some things to discuss."

……………………

"My other maid found it on the promenade deck. It must belong to a first class woman, for no other passenger would own such an expensive item."

Daniel was in the Captain's private room, seated on the other side of a heavy wooden desk from the man himself.

The Captain looked compassionate and somehow angry. Daniel liked the kindness this man displayed, and couldn't help let his anger dissipate.

"You are right of course sir, the investigation that was taken out by the Master of Arms last night brought up no results, and I'm afraid that we can't know who did it."

The Captain looked pensive. They had already discussed the possibility of calling a meeting with all of the first class passengers, but that seemed out of the question.

"I will just have to find the criminal myself." Daniel said, staring out of the window.

…………………..

There we go, I hoped you like it, I know for me the chapter is quite short, but I felt that this deserved its own chapter, and it meant I got to update sooner.

Please review and leave your thoughts.

Dan.


	6. Chapter Six: Ecstasy

Hello everyone!

I'm back, hope you like this chapter, I had loads of fun writing it! And the chapter is not named after a drug, ecstasy also means happiness. Sorry about the time it took to come out!

Thanks for the reviews:

**Ayane Murdoch**- I am not saying but I will tell you that you find out in the very last chapter for sure.

**yellow-faith**- lol, no you are right, no detectives on this ship. Thanks for the review!

**CHAPTER SIX**

**ECSTASY **

Daniel leaned over the rail at the end of the ship after his encounter with the captain.

The dark haired man stared into the darkening depths of water and realised that he was going to be late too dinner.

_Rose's rescuer will dine with us tonight, I wonder what he will be like_, he thought to himself.

He realised that he had no speciality in investigating crimes, he was not going to find out the real killer. He would have to trust his instincts.

_And those instincts tell me it weren't Keisha_, he thought.

The young man stood straight, and gazed out into the horizon. He decided to go back to his state room and talk to the woman that had held his thoughts for the past few days. He knew he was infatuated by her, though he didn't know what to think of this revelation.

He did not care what other people thought of him, he never did.

_I'm going to confess how I feel, it's the right thing to do_, he vowed himself, heading back to his stateroom.

He nodded to several people he vaguely recognised, allowing a small smile to enter his face as he saw Rose going down for dinner.

He hoped that Rose would start to feel better soon. He guessed that Jack would help her with that.

Daniel entered his state room five minutes later and saw Keisha lying on a chaise lounge, staring at the door he had just entered, obviously waiting for him to come back.

"Keisha." He whispered, smiling as the girl in question stood up and walked over to him.

She had taken a bath and changed dress since he had been gone. Her curls were still slightly damp from the rose scented water.

She smiled at him as he walked closer.

Not able to contain his emotions, Daniel kissed her. He felt a strange emotion going through him as he gathered Keisha into his arms, pressing her into his body.

"Daniel, this is wrong, Kate has just died, you need time to mourn." Keisha said between kisses.

"I will have the rest of my life for that, and I have been wanting this for so long, don't deny me off it." He replied, kissing her again.

Half an hour later, Daniel slipped out of his bed and began to get ready for dinner.

"I have dinner to attend, Jack is going to be there, you know, the guy I told you about?" Daniel said to Keisha, waiting for her nod before he continued.

"I will get back here as soon as I can." He mumbled, kissing her on the forehead, cursing himself for wanting to get back into bed with her.

He exited the luxurious room and took the familiar path down to the first class dining saloon. He grinned broadly at anyone who nodded at him out of politeness, causing some expression of surprise.

He approached the DeWitt-Bukator table and exchanged hellos with everyone present.

He dropped into a seat next to Jack, raising his eyebrows at the suit the blonde man was wearing.

"Mollie?" Daniel asked in an undertone to Jack as the starters were served.

Jack grinned at Daniel in his reply before quickly turning his attention back to Rose.

The dinner passed fairly quickly, much to Daniel's liking.

"Tell me of the accommodation in Steerage on this ship Mr Dawson, I hear they are quite good."

Daniel glared at Ruth. _How dare she say that_! She thought to himself.

"Best I've seen hardly any rats." Jack replied scathingly, causing Ruth's eyebrows to shoot up her forehead.

Daniel grinned at the response, defiantly carrying on as Cal threw a dirty look at him.

For once, at the end of dinner, Daniel opted to go the smoking room, intending to talk to Cal.

Daniel had never been in the smoking room before, unlike most First Class men, not that he was particularly eager to visit it in the first place.

He grudgingly admitted that the place was tastefully decorated. The rich panelled walls and beautiful tiles gave off a distinct impression of wealth and worth.

He felt a hand tug at his sleeve in his state of wonder, causing him to come back to the earth.

"Caledon, I have business proposition for you, do you mind if we discuss it in private?"

Daniel looked into Cal's eyes, long and deliberately, hoping he realised that he had no proposition, he just needed to talk.

"Of Course Daniel, shall this table suffice?" Cal answered, pointing at a circular table in the corner of the room, not too far away from a poker game.

"It most certainly will." Daniel intoned as he walked over to the aforementioned chair.

Daniel waited as the slightly shorter man dropped himself into a chair, in an elegant manner of course. Daniel almost rolled his eyes.

"You know, it's hard to think you are the same guy I used to have mud fights with." Daniel said casually, taking off his dinner jacket.

Cal laughed at the memory, one that had resulted in them getting a spanking form their fathers, not that they were that bothered by the punishment.

"I wanted to talk to you about Rose." Daniel said, looking carefully at Cal's chiselled features, probing for a reaction.

Though his face remained unyielding, Cal's eyes showed softness that words could not describe. _He loves her_, he realised.

"She is unhappy Cal. I think you have realised that. I think the love is one sided."

The dark haired man frowned at Daniel's words, though Daniel knew, he had already reached this conclusion.

"Yes, it does appear that way." Cal admitted, eliminating all pretence on his part. For now, they were just two best friends, talking about their estranged love lives. _Women, do they realise what they do to us?_ Daniel thought, looking at the hurt in Cal's eyes.

"It's not too late to break the engagement, I will stand by whatever choice you make, women are replaceable, though I am sure Ruth would have rather contradictory views to mine."

They both laughed at the only humour in the situation.

"Thank you Daniel, you have given food to my thoughts, but if I daresay, it is rather rude of us not participate socially and just sit here to ourselves, would you care for a drink? A cigar?"

Daniel laughed at Cal's expression. They had both tried Brandy at Daniel's house one year, resulting in a life long addiction from Cal and a lifelong hatred from Daniel.

"I thought the vomit on my Uncle's study floor was answer enough for you." Daniel said, remembering the after effects of the liquor.

"I will be heading back to my stateroom I think, though I would like to say goodnight to Jack first."

Cal's eyes clouded over at the mention of the third class passenger.

"For heaven's sake Cal, stop holding a grudge, he may have won over Rose and saved her, but remember, he is steerage, he has little if no power, you are in control of the situation."

Cal smiled in an evil way at Daniel's words. As much as he hated to admit it, the class structure was an important part of society.

_Especially these men, _he thought, eyeing a group of finely dressed men all sipping brandy.

"Goodnight Cal." Daniel said as he walked out of the Smoking room, holding his breath to avoid the vulgar smoke entering his body.

Daniel took the lifts down to E-Deck, going around the same dull white passages, following the unmistakeable noise of a party.

After ten minutes, Daniel climbed down some stairs into a small meeting room of sorts, filled with third class passengers laughing and dancing to some Irish music.

He felt a pang of jealousy at their enjoyment, the informality of the situation endeared him.

He spotted Rose and Jack dancing, Rose laughing in the blond mans arms.

Daniel moved through the crowds of people, stopping occasionally to smile at people and hug children he met on the deck yesterday.

"How did you find the dinner Jack?" Daniel asked as he reached the ecstatic couple.

Jack turned around, smiling at him.

"A tad too posh for my liking, but enjoyable in a rather analysing way,"

Both Daniel and Rose laughed at this statement.

They talked for a further five minutes of Ruth's rudeness, unfazed by Rose's presence.

"I must go, I am slightly overwhelmed with the desire to sleep. I trust I will see you at tomorrow's service Rose?" Daniel asked. He spoke of the Sunday church service available to the first class passengers.

Jack gave Daniel a penetrating stare before bidding good night. _He is up to something_, he decided, yawning as he rode the panelled elevator to the A Deck.

"Keisha?" Daniel asked, as soon as he entered the stateroom that had been home for the last couple of days.

The girl in question, he found on search, was still sleeping in his bed. Not having the heart to move her, Daniel undressed and climbed in next to her, savouring her warmth.

_This trip didn't turn out so bad after all_, he thought, as he slipped into a deep sleep.

………………………….

There we go, Chapter 6 in all its glory. The time is now Saturday April 13th 1912 in the story, so I shall start on the sinking soon!

Please note that if I was at any point sexist in this chapter, for I know I was, this is not because I am, it is reflecting society's view in the early 1900s.

Please review!

Dan


	7. Chapter Seven: Prayer

Hello again everyone, sorry for such a long delay in chapters, but I am on Study Leave so I should have some more time to update and hopefully finish this story!

**Psycho Fox**- Thank you for the review.

Onwards and upwards as they say, to the day of the sinking.

**A.N**. I have said that the morning mass service was held in the First Class Dining salon. I am not 100 sure of this is what actually happened, I watched that bit from the movie and I have tried every looking over the web but I couldn't find the information I needed, so if this incorrect, please forgive me and know that I tried.

I have also tried to make the conversation language more to fit the time period the story is set in. I hope it works out okay!

And Last thing, if anyone is interested in being a beta for this story, I would be grateful if they could email me and let me know!

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

**PRAYER**

Daniel moved slightly, still drugged by hours of sleep. It wasn't until he heard a muffled scream did he decide to wake up properly.

"Keisha, you frightened the life out of me!" He gasped, clutching his heart.

"You almost squashed the life out of me!" She exclaimed, leaping out of the bed.

The pair stared at each for a few moments before both bursting into unceremonious laughter. It took a few moments to subside, and leaving both with pains at their sides and out of breath.

"I must go to morning service, I have no time for breakfast, but I will be back in time to order you some lunch."

Keisha nodded, and left to get changed.

Following suit, Daniel clambered into some clothes haphazardly, pausing twice to make sure the clothes were on the correct parts.

Satisfied with his appearance, he left the grand room to attend morning mass like he did every Sunday. _Hopefully it will be more interesting on an ocean liner_, he thought to himself, smirking.

Taking the elevator down to the E Deck, he mused on the last few days he had been on board the Titanic. He had met Keisha, bumped into his old best friend and was fast becoming friends with several people he didn't know existed last week.

Overall a good four days.

"Thank you." He said politely to the man operating the contraption, smiling widely.

Morning Mass was held in the Firs Class Dining Salon. A special table had been set out in front of many rows of chairs, recreating the Church pews effectively.

Daniel had never been one for religion, he had always found services tedious since he was little, but his Uncle forced him to go, and it was unfortunately a habit that stuck.

Nodding at various passengers as he passed, he gracefully sat down in a chair next to Ruth DeWitt-Bukator.

"Why good Morning Mr Taylor, how are you feeling on this bright day?" She asked politely.

"Much the same as yesterday I would imagine." Cal answered for him, who was sitting on the other side of Ruth in a dark cream suit.

Laughing, Daniel smothered out the creases in his dark brown suit, before quickly checking the time on the stopwatch he kept in the light cream waistcoat he was wearing.

"Ignore Cal's jesting Mrs DeWitt-Bukator, he means no disrespect. And I am fine thank you ma'am, and you?" He asked, glancing over at the red-headed woman next to him.

"Why, please call me Ruth, and I am splendid thank you kind Sir."

Luckily, the service had now begun, forcing an end to the conversation.

Finding the service dull, Daniel's thoughts drifted, becoming fixed on a beautiful dark skinned girl who was sitting in my state room, most likely bored out of her brains.

Halfway through a hymn, while staring out to the sea though one of the windows, he noticed Jack was trying to get in through the reflection on the glass.

"Uh-oh." He whispered, causing Ruth to give him a peculiar look.

Ignoring Ruth, he waited for the service to end, intending to find out what Jack wanted.

Luckily for him, the service ended quickly, allowing him to walk as fast as humanly possible (well, as fast as you could in upper class society).

Jack was nowhere to be found, for he had obviously not being allowed admittance to the service, not that Daniel was surprised, he was in steerage after all.

Deciding to check on Keisha, he headed the way to his state room, nodded numbly as people walked by, though his attention was elsewhere.

It was inevitable that he would walk into someone, and he would have realised this had he being using the eyes God had given him.

"I am awfully sorry kind lady, please accept my forgiveness." He said to the young woman he knocked into, who turned out to be a maid.

"Are you Mr Taylor?" She asked, fixing the white cap neatly onto her brilliantly blonde hair.

Confused slightly, Daniel nodded, looking at the young woman directly.

"Sir, you are required by the Master Of Arms, it seems a stowaway managed to get into your stateroom, a black one at that!" She exclaimed, before stalking off down the plush carpet.

Groaning, Daniel headed down to E deck, hoping that this would be sorted out quickly.

I wonder how she was discovered, I looked the room after all, he thought, stopping to ask a steward to where the Master Of Arms was.

He ended up being led by the steward, unable to understand his rich Scottish accent. The stark white of the walls and the plain red floor really showed that the Titanic was not luxurious in most places. Daniel was by now accustomed to these settings, but he still thought it was odd.

"Here you go, sir." The red headed steward said, pointing into a door where he noticed Keisha sitting a chair, smiling at him slightly.

"What is the meaning of this?" Daniel asked, gesturing at the handcuffs that kept Keisha pinned to the chair.

"A lady found her in your room Sir, claimed she was a stowaway, I'm not so sure, she seems awfully cleaned and well fed for a stowaway." The portly man added, fiddling with the brim on his cap.

"And you would be right, she is my maid, after all, my other one died on board this ship and Keisha is an old friend of mine, she agreed to the post, so I upgraded her third class ticket to first so she could travel with me." Daniel hoped that they would by the lie, and he showed them the ticket he had bought for her earlier, knowing they wouldn't bother to check her up on the third class passenger list.

"A native sir?" The Master Of Arms said disbelievingly, nodding in distaste at Keisha's dark skin.

"No, an Englishwoman." Daniel stated firmly, anger flaring up in him. After all, Keisha was much different from normal natives.

Nodding in a distracted manner, the officer released Keisha, who at once felt her wrists, which had deep impressions in the otherwise smooth skin.

"And what about the woman who broke into my state room. It was locked; I knew for a fact, she broke in." Daniel said, motioning Keisha to stand beside him.

"I didn't let her in." Keisha supplied helpfully, ignoring the dirty look the officer threw at her.

"She was a lady with bright red hair, part of the Hockley party I do believe, quite aged dare I say." The officer said, obviously not wanting to arrest a first class lady.

_Ruth_, he thought in distaste, nodding at the man, before turning away and taking Keisha with him.

"I should have known it was her." Daniel said not really talking to anyone, least of all the girl beside him.

Keisha kept her brown eyes glued to the floor, the dark curls shielding her face.

"What did she say to you?" Daniel asked eventually, as they went up the elevator from E deck. They both tried to ignore the curious glances the blonde steward gave them.

"Not a lot really, the usual. That I should not befoul the ship. There is another black family on board, I wonder if they get this." Keisha said in her usual colloquial manner, ignoring the shock on the steward's face.

Nodding, the dark haired man escorted her out of the elevator and along to their state room, ignoring the shocked glances and whispers from the other first class guests.

It was a mutual decision to have lunch in the rich state room, not wanting to go outside and enjoy the April sunshine. They both ate silently, devouring the food he had ordered quickly.

"I am going for a walk, will you be alright in here? I presume that Ruth will not attempt such antics again." Daniel said, setting his knife and fork down, and calling a maid to take away the dishes.

He gave her a smirk, and softened his eyes and his words.

"It feels good to be around someone real, I hate talking like a posh person all day." Daniel said, allowing his rich London accent to come out in its pride.

Keisha looked up at him, laughing.

"Well, even the posh people have faults." She said bemused, smoothing the crinkles out of her dark blue dress.

"Indeed we do." Daniel added, converting back to his dulled speech.

"When the ship docks I am going to ravel the world, I can not take this society anymore." Daniel said, grabbing Keisha's hand and tugging along to their private deck.

"That's crazy." Keisha whispered, leaning onto the wooden rail.

"Maybe, but it will be worth. Would you care to join me?" He asked, looking at with unmasked longing.

"I would be delighted." She said, giggling slightly.

Smiling again, Daniel leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. No lust, no desire, just a sweet kiss. After all, they were outside and kissing alone was bad enough.

Drawing away, he smiled again and left the state room, leaving a bewildered Keisha in his wake.

He almost collided with Rose as soon as he reached the corridor, but luckily he dodged just in time.

"Everyone's talking about it, scandal of the year some say." Rose said, linking arms with his.

Smiling slightly, the two friends walked to the Poop deck, Daniel giving Rose all the details that most didn't get.

She was disturbed to find her mother was the person who found his secret, but not surprised. She was vindictive, not doubt about it.

"I need to talk to Jack, I haven't seen him since earlier, since I told him…." Rose didn't complete her sentence, and she didn't have to.

Smirking, Daniel reached out to touch her arm. "Do not tell Cal I said this, but you should follow your heart, don't think. If I have learned one thing on this ship, it's that. Check the bow."

Leaving a thinking Rose behind him, Daniel left to get ready for dinner.

I hope they work things out, he thought sullenly, enjoying the sunset before entering the inside of the ship.

………….

Cool, so now we are on the night of the sinking.

Only about 4 more chapters to go I think. 1 for the evening, 1 for the sinking, an extra long on of course, and then the conclusion.

Please review, I hope you have enjoyed it!

Dan.


	8. Chapter Eight: Disaster

I'm back again! And quite quickly for me, this is the first chapter of the sinking so the drama starts now.

Thanks for the reviews:

**Psycho Fox**- Lol, I'm not about to finish anytime, give me about a month and yes, but I need to write three more chapters! Thanks for the review. I see you have brought The First Officer's Daughter back, I will be interested to see where it goes.

**EllenHockley**- I'm glad you liked it, I think Cal is underused so I hope to change that.

**My Divinest**- Ah, lol, hello! Have you been stalking me? Lol, only joking. Intriguing? Hardly, the fact is I couldn't think of a decent name, so I was going to use my own until I could think of one, and then I am so far into it now it seems a bit pointless to change it.

**A.N**- I am looking for a beta for this story if anyone's interested…

On we go…

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

**DISASTER**

Dinner was the usual parade of wine, gossip and fine food.

As hard as he tried, Daniel could not focus on the conversation at hand, his thoughts constantly dwelling on Rose and Jack, wondering what they were doing currently, and wondering if things had worked out for the pair.

"Have you seen Rose, Daniel?" A voice called out from across the linen clad table, causing him to rise his russet head from the ceramic dinner plate he was currently staring at.

Cal.

"Rose? Do you remember our conversation?" He said, seeing the realisation and anger spark to life in Cal's eyes.

Daniel also noted with distaste Ruth's intrigued expression, though he doubted it was concern for her daughter, for she had never displayed much in the way of motherly affection, in his presence at least.

"Cal, let us retire to my state room, I have a business proposition for you." Daniel said carefully, meeting his chocolate eyes with Cal's ebony ones, hoping he would understand that was more to this situation than he was letting on.

Cal gave him a brief nod, rising from the table, as both men excused themselves.

Ignoring the subtle protests from Ruth, the two men left the first class dining room, nodding at several people who they passed along the way. He noticed with frustration that Cal's valet was accompanying them.

The journey to his stateroom was tense, with Daniel giving glares at the valet every so often for good measure, wanting to talk to his old friend privately.

_My God, Keisha_! He thought suddenly, realising they could not meet in his stateroom for fear of her discovery and the scandal it would cause.

_Think fast_, he thought frantically as the elevator to the B deck was finishing its trip.

"Continue onto the A Deck." Daniel instructed the young officer operating the lift, receiving curious glances from Cal and Lovejoy.

"It is such a lovely evening, we may as well talk on the deck, a much pleasanter sight than my stuffy state room!" He exclaimed, ignoring the disbelieving grunt that came from the blonde officer's mouth, who obviously thought that the stateroom's where far from stuffy.

The three men headed across the promenade deck, not speaking for a while. The tension was palpable and was on all of three of their mind's.

"Lovejoy, leave us." Cal said suddenly, making Daniel snap his head up. "Meet me back in the stateroom in fifteen minutes, this shouldn't take long." He added, a slight sinister tone in his voice.

They both watched the elder man leave, slightly disgruntled but silent.

"She's with him, she loves him. Break of the engagement before you become the laughing stock of the upper society." Daniel stated bluntly, fiddling with his bowtie, causing it to become undone.

Cal showed no response in his words, only leaned over the railing, looking into the deep, icy water far below.

"No Daniel. She will not get away with this! She is a woman for god's sake, she should respect me." Cal said, his voice rising with every word he spoke.

"And what have you done to earn her respect Cal? Respect is not given with jewellery and money, it is earned, and what have you done to earn it?" Daniel countered, hating to see his friend in distress, for he knew he was, under his cool façade.

"He's a goddamn gutter rat! A worthless pile of human flesh. Why would she choose him?" Cal said, talking to himself more than his old friend.

"When was the last time you told Rose you loved her?" Daniel asked suddenly, trying to break away from the bitter argument about Jack.

Cal did not respond, he just continued to stare at the water.

"Have you ever told her you loved her?" Daniel asked, an incredulous tone displayed in his voice.

Daniel didn't need Cal's small shake of head to know the answer.

"And you wonder why she doubts your love?" He asked rhetorically, noticing his friend stand rigid as John Astor and his wife walked behind them, before relaxing again onto the white rail as soon as they were out of sight.

"Maybe I should remind her who has the real power." Cal said cryptically, before stalking away from him, back to the interior of the ship.

Sighing, Daniel followed suit, heading to his suite room, ignoring the people he walked passed, his mind wondering what extremes Cal would go to.

"Hello Keisha." Daniel said as he walked in, noticing the bronze skinned woman rise from her seat on the couch, wearing a lacy negligee and a dressing gown. Daniel vaguely recognised as something he had bought for Kate in an effort to change her into a proper lady, he realised now it was a terrible mistake, but he couldn't help himself, buying things for one of his only true friends.

"Hello." Keisha answered in her London accent, giving him a full smile before walking forward and giving him a tentative kiss on the cheek.

"Come, let's go to bed, I am tired." Daniel said, grabbing her hand and walking her into the bedroom, chattering mildly about his day and asking her about her own.

Changing out of his clothes and slipping in a pair of cotton trousers, Daniel slipped into bed, holding Keisha's warm form against him, drifting off into sleep of the bright future ahead of them.

………………

An awful shudder awoke Daniel from his slumber, with the bed vibrating violently.

"What is happening?" Keisha said suddenly, sitting upright, fear shown on her face.

"I have no idea." Daniel muttered, noticing that the shudder had stopped, leaving the room in a state of calm yet again, awaiting for them to return to their sleep.

He knew that whatever caused such a vibration could not be good, and he refused to sleep knowing that something could be wrong.

"Come, let's get dressed and I will go ask someone what is wrong." Daniel said to Keisha, moving over to his wardrobe as she slipped out of his room, moving into her own in search of clothes.

"Dress warmly and comfortably." Daniel instructed, being overly cautious in his opinion.

Daniel slipped on a pair of black trousers and a white vest covered by a red shirt and a dark burgundy waistcoat. Slipping on his black shoes and grabbing a black jacket, Daniel left his room, running a comb trough his russet locks.

He noted tat Keisha had taken his advice and wore a think woollen dress and a long overcoat, complete with gloves.

"I will be back shortly, don't worry." Daniel said, offering a warm smile to her before leaving his state room.

"Hey you!" He called out to a harassed looking steward who was walking by.

"There is nothing the matter Sir, before you ask." He said shortly without stopping, causing Daniel to gape at his rudeness.

Thinking that Cal may have an idea of what was occurring, Daniel headed to his friend's state room, only to see Jack being dragged away by the Master of Arms, with the third class boy calling to Rose all the way.

The two met eye contact for a second, and he saw the deep anger and regret living in his cobalt orbs.

"What is going on?" Daniel asked, peeking his head around Cal's open stateroom door, to see Ruth pacing, and Cal leading Rose into another room.

Ruth herself was wearing her surprisingly long hair down, wearing a kimono styled dressing gown, sporting a surprised look on her face.

"Mr Taylor! What are you doing up so late?" She exclaimed, stopping her pacing of the elegant room.

"I felt a shudder and I came to investigate, only to see Mr Dawson being taken away by the Master of Arms of all people!" He exclaimed, walking into the luxurious apartment.

"Oh yes I know, that vulgar boy convinced Rose to pose for an erotic drawing, only to steal one of her more exquisite pieces of jewellery in the process!" She stated nastily, her distaste for the blonde steerage boy showing in her voice.

Daniel did not actually believe for one second that Jack had stolen the jewellery, not after Cal's comment earlier.

"I feel more is going on than we actually know." Daniel muttered, half to himself as he noted a steward walk in behind him, causing him to turn around on the spot.

"I'm afraid you must put your lifebelts on, Captain's orders and head immediately to the deck." He said, walking into the room without further comment to a store cupboard, withdrawing a lifebelt with him.

_Oh no_, Daniel thought, walking from the room to return to his own.

He barged into his room, ignoring Keisha's startled expression and hurriedly walked into the closet, withdrawing two lifejackets, placing one around himself and motioning for Keisha to do the same.

"I don't know what is going on yet, but I will find out, stay here and out of sight, I don't want you to get hurt." Daniel stated, stroking her cheek lovingly as he once again fled the room, not waiting for a response.

Daniel, forgetting all forms of proper etiquette, all but sprinted to the grand staircase, bounding up the stairs to the A deck foyer, where most of the passengers seemed to be milling around, some drinking Brandy.

He heard faintly Molly Brown complaining about the lack of information and also noticed Rose talking to Mr Andrews on the stairs. Deciding this was his best bet for information, He walked slowly down the stairs, only to hear the Master shipbuilder's last words.

"…Titanic will founder."

He felt his jaw drop, all of the air seemed to be sucked out of him. He vaguely heard Andrews carrying on about not starting a panic, and about there not being enough lifeboats for everyone.

Daniel noted Cal look at him, a cocky smirk plastered on his face as he saw the long haired man walk down to him.

He felt anger wash over him as he sought the confirmation he had wanted. Cal had set Jack up about the jewellery theft, and now he was most probably looked down in the bowels of a sinking ship, and Cal actually found it amusing.

"You cocky bastard." Daniel muttered, punching Cal in his nose before storming away, needing desperately to talk with Keisha.

He stopped and turned around, noticing Ruth's astonished gaze, matched with Rose's worried one. He managed to give his younger friend a reassuring smile, before glaring at Cal, who was wiping away blood with a handkerchief.

"Tonight, all hell will break loose." He conceded, hurrying down the oak staircase to his stateroom.

He gazed forlornly at the now deserted corridor before slamming his stateroom open, watching as Keisha rose from her seat on the elaborate Chaise lounge to meet him in the centre of the room.

He couldn't seem to articulate any words, the shock seemed to great still, knowing that all the grandeur around him would soon be at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean.

"We are sinking." He managed to choke out, as Keisha gaped at him, disbelief and pure panic morphing into her beautiful face.

"Oh no." She managed to say, tears welling in her hazel eyes.

All he could do was hold her, contemplating the seriousness of the situation laid before them.

………………

The sinking continues (and ends) in the next chapter, the end is in sight and I am enjoying how this story as turned out.

Please review! I am hoping to get twenty reviews by the end of the story so, help me out please, lol.

Until next time,

Dan.


	9. Chapter Nine: Dangerous

Hello again, on the second to last chapter! The story will finish soon, so I am quite pleased, as this has taken me about 7 months now, lol. I will miss writing it, and I am tempted to write a Jack and Rose romance in the future, but I have a lot of other stories to finish first.

Yay, I finally got this up, I have been so lazy, but here we are!

Thanks for the reviews:

**lilZgamecube**- Thanks, I'm glad you like it.

**Cookies Fly Mostly At Night**- Thanks, I'm glad you think so.

**My Divinest**- Thanks for the review, and thanks for the offer, if you could that would be great!

**NOTE**: A fedora hat is like a cowboy hat, think Michael Jackson Smooth Criminal…

On we go then, to the rest of the sinking. (You might not like the ending of this chapter, its sad, so just a warning ;)

**CHAPTER NINE**

**DANGEROUS**

For what seemed like hours, the two clung to each other, the panic settling within their hearts as they realised the magnitude of the situation.

"Come, we must think of a plan." Daniel instructed, running a hand through his dark hair tiredly. "Rose will go and get Jack, I am sure of it, so we don't have to worry about them." He added, pulling away from Keisha and starting to pace the room restlessly.

"Well, we need to worry about us Daniel. They will not let a black woman on the lifeboats, I doubt they will even let steerage on, after all, there aren't enough lifeboats for all of us." Keisha said, thinking logically, resting comfortably on the crimson chaise lounge.

His mind seemed void of any solutions to their predicament. He was not a stupid man, he knew the uproar he would cause by bringing a coloured woman on deck, to wait for a lifeboat of all things. Their only chance was to try and wait for a boat to come and rescue the survivors of the shipwreck. This seemed like a very shaky solution, as the water was freezing and they would need something for them both to stay afloat on.

Keisha was looking at him with her large chocolate pools, waiting for him to present an answer to their troubles.

"We will stay on the boat for as long as we can. When the ship goes down we will have to find something to keep afloat with." Daniel said, noticing the scepticism in her eyes when hearing his plan.

"Admittedly it is not the wisest course of action." Daniel conceded, watching as Keisha raised an eyebrow to his statement. "But it is the only choice we have, to wait for a boat to rescue us." He finished, wringing his hands together, praying she would agree.

"Okay then. But we must dress warmly. In as little layers as possible. If we do go in the water, it will not be good to weigh ourselves down." She said, standing up and pecking him on the cheek with her lips before disappearing into her room.

It took several moments to realise what he had to do before he could shake himself out of his trance. _This is no time to be daydreaming_, he said to himself as he wondered into this elegant bedroom, feeling a pang of sadness as he realised this would all be at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean soon.

Struck by inspiration, Daniel reached under his bed to a small bottle of whiskey he kept with him just in case he felt the need to forget about everything for a while.

Grabbing a sheep skin coat (and slipping the whiskey inside one of the pockets), some fur lined gloves and a white scarf, Daniel hastily walked into the living room whilst putting on the said garments. Keisha emerged a few seconds later from the other room, wearing a fully covering dress and a brown overcoat.

Daniel grabbed her gloved hand, leading her to one of the chaise lounges, promptly sitting himself down and sitting the African beauty on his lap. There was no words spoken, just the two of the cuddling against each other, ears straining to hear anything out of the ordinary from the corridors and their eyes occasionally drifting over to the elegant clock on the wall.

They both noticed that they were starting to slant downwards, though they tried not to acknowledge it.

_Ignorance really is bliss_, he mused to himself, fiddling with a lock of Keisha's ebony curls, breathing her rose like fragrance.

"It's getting too dangerous to stay in here." Keisha commented after what seemed like an eternity, but the clock read 1:52 am. The degree of the floor was now high, giving both of them a sense of the impending doom that would soon befall them.

"You're right, we need to get to the deck, to try and stay above water as long as possible, and we can't do that of we are crushed in this room!" He exclaimed, the room itself was starting to show damp patches along one wall, adjacent to the floor, giving him a sense of urgency.

Propelling himself out of the chair he was lounging on, Daniel grabbed Keisha's hand and turned towards the door, hesitating slightly before moving back towards his bedroom, ignoring the confused look he received.

He came back into the luxurious room carrying a wide brimmed fedora hat that he had Uncle had purchased for him on his many travels across the world.

Walking back over to ebony haired woman, he thrust the hat on her head, quickly undoing the plait she held her glossy locks in, so that her face was quite effectively concealed.

"Not everyone is so tolerant towards coloured people I am afraid." He whispered in her, idly playing with one of the tresses of hair. "This should help us avoid attracting unwanted attention, though I can't imagine many people being interested in anything but their own survival tonight."

Keisha grimaced, but nodded, accepting the necessity of concealment.

Walking into one of the closets, he grabbed the lifebelts that were stacked neatly atop of a wooden shelf, slipping one on himself, and passing the other to Keisha as he went back into the room.

With one final look over his companion, He grabbed her gloved hand and opened the door, finding the green carpeted corridors deserted, the lights flickering out periodically.

Looking around the corridors, the dark haired man felt a pang of fear enter his heart, before promptly ignoring, trying to focus on survival.

"Let's go against the slant." He stated, trying his best to keep his voice light. Keisha snorted, both of them realising that the humour was only a tactic to prevent themselves form panicking.

Dragging Keisha along, Daniel brought them to the end of the white panelled corridor, wincing slightly as the ship groaned again under pressure.

Barely recognising the corridors in the failing light, Daniel manoeuvred them so they entered the flooding first class staircase, just as the lights flickered out for the last time.

Frightened by the cries of the helpless and stunned by the feeling of animosity he held towards the failing ship, he immediately rushed them up the marble stairs, not wanting to waste another minute in the doomed interior of the liner.

Keisha tugged the brim of her black hat further down and turned up the collar on her coat, hiding her face from view even more. Together they rushed to the deck.

They both gazed momentarily at the star studded sky, entranced by the burning balls of gasses millions of miles away, wondering if they would join the departed souls in heaven tonight.

Shaking his head, he grabbed Keisha's hand again and dragged her towards the stern of the ship. Pushing other people out of the way, they reached the white railing the bordered the edges of the ship. Word travelled quickly that the lifeboats had all gone, the sense of impending doom smothered the remaining passengers in panic.

"Come on, let's climb over." Daniel said, noticing Keisha struggling to stay upright as they rose further from the water.

He swung his legs over the rail, and forced himself against gravity so that he was leaning against the rail on the other side, feeling slightly safer, even though he was dangling over the edge of a ship.

"Come on Keisha, you next." He said, noticing the terror that entered her eyes.

He started to speak, but was cut short as she was flung out of his grasp, pushed aside by a stoutly man dressed in white, who quickly came to claim a space near him on the other side of the rail.

He watched her grab the air fruitlessly, attempting to come back to him. She slipped on the floor, looking scared as she was forced back by the crowds.

She was gone.

Jack and Rose quickly joined him at the stern, though he couldn't find a greeting for them, his throat was constricted with shock, unable to think of anything but the girl who was cruelly thrown from his arms.

A sickening crunch distracted him, causing him to clench the rail tighter out of his own fear. The ship seemed to be splitting in half, _under the stress to the hull_ he realised.

He cried out in fright as the stern came rushing back down to the water, desperately trying to hold on.

His chocolate eyes widened in fear as the stern rose once more, until it was vertical, surprisingly stopping in mid air.

"I guess this is the end." He murmured to himself, withdrawing the bottle of whiskey from his pocket, gulping down the amber liquid that set fire to his throat.

Shuddering as the alcohol fuelled his body, he flung the empty bottle down towards the water, trying to ignore the urge to vomit.

"This is why I hate whiskey." He moaned, his alcohol induced state not yet realising that the ship had started its final descent into the glossy water.

The cold hit him as soon as he hit the water, yet he found it bearable, even though he was fully submerged in the water now, the suction of the ship dragging him down.

Realising he had to kick to the surface, he pumped his legs ferociously, his lungs aching, in dire need of oxygen.

He gasped in the crisp air as soon as his head penetrated the surface, his ears were instantly assaulted with futile cries for help by all those in the deathly cold water.

Sluggishly, he swam away from the throng of freezing bodies, not wanting to be dragged down by panicked people.

His eyes focused on a piece of floating debris in front of him, one that seemed to be awaiting him. Suddenly tired, he hauled himself out of the water, thankful that he was out of the water.

His eyes slipped closed, into a dreamless sleep, mostly due to the alcohol that was cruising around his veins.

……………………

Daniel awoke as light hit his face, causing him to blink repeatedly, wishing the offending subject would leave him alone and let him sleep. A terrible headache had formed and the torch, or whatever it was, only intensified the pain.

Still under its painful scrutiny, he sat up on what he thought was the most uncomfortable bed he had ever slept on, also confused by the water that was lapping so close to him.

The memories of the night seemed to drive into his mind at once. _The sinking, Keisha gone, the alcohol_.

Groaning, he suddenly heard a distinct Welsh accent calling out to him.

"It's okay, we are coming for you, don't panic."

He lay back down on the debris, willing the pain to leave him.

A pair of hands suddenly grabbed his soaked coat, causing him to squirm in discomfort. He suddenly realised he was hauled inside a boat, and immediately covered in blankets, before being pushed down to a laying position, all the time being given reassurances in the strangely familiar Welsh voice.

Daniel breathed a shaky sigh of relief, realising that he was at last, safe.

…………………

Hmm, this was hard to get out, and please forgive me if I got any details wrong, I did check on various websites that I got the right information and it is quite accurate.

Please review! The next, and last chapter will be out soon.

Take care,

Dan.


	10. Chapter Ten: Beginning

Hey everyone, I'm back for the last chapter, thanks and notes are at the bottom. Within two days too! That must be a record for me!

**CHAPTER TEN  
**

**BEGINNING**

The sky was a dull blue, the sun just starting to climb over the wavy ocean that expanded endlessly around them.

Daniel was sitting next to Rose in the tiny lifeboat that had saved him from perishing in the icy waters a couple of hours ago. It seemed like an eternity ago he was on the luxurious Titanic, ready to visit his Aunt and Uncle in America.

If he had learned anything in the past few days, it was that he hated being a first class passenger more than ever. He had witnessed women, men and children alike freezing to death just because they did not have enough money for a first class ticket.

An officer was waving around a green flare to a ship approaching them, the same man who had rescued him from the water.

_After this, I am never stepping foot on a boat again_, he decided, a small smile entering his face.

He had grieved for Keisha earlier, and found that even though he would miss her terribly, that things between them were just not meant to be. They weren't in love, not yet anyway, things would have been difficult for them. They had both been spared the trials and tribulations of starting a relationship, albeit he would have preferred a slightly different way than this.

Tears had come and gone, he grieved for his friends, and the dead, but he mostly grieved for those who were foolhardy enough to brand the ship 'unsinkable'. _No one can play God without consequence,_ he mused, suddenly realising how tired he was.

Rose was stirring next to him, her aquamarine eyes reflecting the light from the flare, showing her return to consciousness. He decided to talk to her on the boat, see if she would want to set out into New York with him, away from the money and false personas he had endured for most of his life.

He wanted to see the world, work for a living, raise his own family with the woman he loved, not being handed everything on a silver platter with nothing to do but read all day.

Their small lifeboat came to stop along side of a ship called Carpathia, a long rope ladder was dropped down to them, and the officer, who he had still yet to find a name for, was starting to order the evacuation of the boat.

After around twenty minutes, Daniel climbed up the ladder, his muscles screaming in protest as he did so. A feeling of nausea hit his stomach as he looked down to the water which seemed very far away in his sleepless state.

He clambered onto the deck, and was immediately guided by a nurse to their sick bay, where he was promptly examined by an over worked doctor, who just stated he needed sleep.

Thankful that he was given a nice warm bed, he smiled in thanks towards the busy nurse and took of his shoes and coat, slipping into the white sheets, his head hitting the pillow softly, sending him into a deep sleep almost instantly.

…………………

Daniel was given a bowl of soup and some bread when he woke up. He ate the food eagerly, glad his appetite had returned. He did not ask for how long he had slept for, for some reason he did not want to know, it felt good not be in control of something, no matter how petty it was.

Feeling fully refreshed, he slipped on his shoes and coat and exited the medical bay and into the pouring rain outside. The droplets of water felt refreshing on his skin, as if it was cleaning away the impurities of the sinking, as if the tainted stain of death and misery been removed from him.

He noticed that they was entering New York, the Statue of Liberty standing impressively in front of them, adding a feeling of familiarity to the situation, its jade figure beckoning them towards the safety of land.

He saw Rose standing at the edge of the boat, unfazed by the rain and made his way towards her. Daniel noticed she too had decided to remain with the third class members of the ship.

"What's you name sir?" A familiar Welsh accent called to him, causing him to turn around, to find an officer standing there with an umbrella, his uniform still remarkably clean.

"You are the man who saved me from the water." He commented, allowing a smile to enter his face, one which the man embarrassingly returned.

"Yes I am, I am Officer Lowe, though I guess I'm just Mr Lowe now," the man said, smiling wistfully.

"Well, Mr Lowe, Officer Lowe, whoever you are, I want to thank you, I owe you my life and I will not forget it." The dark haired man said, running a hand through his drenched locks.

Lowe smiled again, and locked at him expectedly with his pen poised to the paper in front of him.

_I can't use my real name_, Daniel thought, panicking slightly.

He said the first name that came to his mind. "Calvert. Daniel Calvert."

Lowe nodded, walking off, leaving Daniel to walk towards Rose, his only friend in the world at the moment.

She turned and smiled at him as he approached, one he returned gladly. There was a mutual understanding between both of them, for they had both lost ones they cared greatly for and had survived a ship wreck to awful to comprehend. It made him feel connected to her in an intimate way that few others had.

"Mister Taylor, will you do the honour of joining me in my travels of New York?" Rose teased with a highly refined accent.

Daniel tried to hide his delight at her question, but he could not hide the grin the entered his face.

"Why of course Miss Rose, as long as you don't mind my company." Daniel returned in his natural Londoner accent, something that made Rose laugh.

Rose leaned into him slightly, causing him to wrap an arm protectively around her as they reached the docks, his hand lazily running through her auburn hair.

Daniel had lost a lot of things on the Titanic, his cousin, his 'girlfriend' and his naiveté. He still did not know what had caused Kathy's death, but he quickly understood it would just be one more mystery that the ocean consumed.

But with Rose leaning against his arm, he knew life was not so bad after all.

…………………

Yay! I'm done! How many people guessed the ending of this story? I thought it was kinda shocking plot twist.

Thanks for the reviews:

Magenta Kittens- I'm glad you liked it, thanks for the review.

Person- Well, sorry I did not fulfil your request but I had figured out the plot a long time ago, sorry if you don't like it but I think the ending is the way it should be.

Thank you for all those who have read this, and thank you to those who will review after reading this (hopefully).

Laters,

Dan.


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